The Big Five Podcast

Elias Makos is joined by Paul Gott, Lead singer and guitarist for Montreal Punk Rock band the Ripcordz and a journalism professor at Concordia, and Neil Drabkin is a lawyer who served as federal prosecutor and a political commentator who was a chief of staff in the Harper government.

• So Donald Trump did find out what Mark Carney wanted to talk about, after all. Both leaders met at the white house yesterday for the first time since the trade war began between Canada and the US. 
• Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is promising to listen and learn from his 2025 federal election loss, the same day his caucus opted to empower themselves to have the ability to remove their leader. 
• Bill 72, which amends the Consumer Protection act, comes into effect today. That means new rules for how the price of goods is displayed at the grocery store, especially when it comes to sales and points program pricing. It also means that when dining out, tips must be calculated before tax.

Elias Makos is joined by Dan Delmar, Co-founder of the content marketing firm TNKR Media and co-host of the podcast Inspiring Entrepreneurs Canada, and Justine McIntyre, Strategic consultant and former city councillor.

• Prime Minister Mark Carney has arrived in Washington for a meeting with Donald Trump who’s “not sure what he wants to talk about” but guesses it’s about “making a deal” he uttered to reporters in the Oval office
• Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is promising a separation referendum in 2026 if enough signatures are gathered on a petition
• After encouraging the public to snitch on their neighbours, police in Gatineau have handed out five tickets for driving with non-Quebec licence plates
• Tales from the Quebec business world: Le Panier Bleu is up for grabs! 

Elias Makos kicks off the week with Akil Alleyne, Reporter and commentator with extensive experience analysing legal, political, and social issues and Manager of the GemStar Circle of Excellence Scholarship Program, and Jimmy Zoubris, special advisor to the Mayor.

• Prime Minister Mark Carney held his first press conference since winning the election on Friday afternoon, and it was filled with interesting moments. 
• In his weekend interview on NBC’s Meet the Press, the President said it’s “highly unlikely” the US would use military force to annex Canada,
• The main candidates for the leadership of the Quebec Liberal Party participated in the first two of six debates, including one in English

Elias Makos caps off the week with Andrew Caddell, a town councillor in Kamouraska, and President of the Task Force on Linguistic policy, and Political analyst Karim Boulos.

• The Conservative caucus will meet on Tuesday, to go over their election defeat and figure out who will lead the party in the interim while Pierre Poilievre waits to win a bye-lection
• The Globe and Mail reports that the Liberals are mounting efforts to convince both Conservative and NDP MPs to cross the floor. 
• Quebec’s Education Minister Bernard Drainville has announced new measures to promote respect and civility in schools
• During a debate on the deteriorating state of Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital, François Legault lost his temper and lashed out at Québec solidaire

Elias Makos is joined by Caroline Codsi, Founder & Chief Equity Officer, Women in Governance, and Jonathan Kalles, Vice President at McMillan Vantage, a national public affairs firm, and former advisor to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

• At a cabinet meeting at the White House Wednesday, President Donald Trump showered praise on Prime Minister Mark Carney. Trump added that Carney would come visit him within a week. 
• Despite losing his longtime seat and leading the Conservatives to another federal election defeat, Pierre Poilievre will remain party leader
• Do judges have too much power? Ontario Premier Doug Ford went off on the courts Wednesday, after an injunction blocked the province’s law targeting some of Toronto’s bike lanes

Elias Makos is joined by Dan Delmar, Co-founder of the content marketing firm TNKR Media and co-host of the podcast Inspiring Entrepreneurs Canada, and Akil Alleyne, Reporter and commentator with extensive experience analysing legal, political, and social issues and Manager of the GemStar Circle of Excellence Scholarship Program.

• A powerful windstorm swept through Quebec on Tuesday night, leaving nearly 100,000 Hydro Quebec customers without power and causing widespread destruction, particularly on the Island of Montreal
• Prime Minister Mark Carney was congratulated by Donald Trump in a private phone call yesterday, and the two agreed to meet “in the near future.” Carney was elected to deal with Trump, seemingly, so what should the game plan be?
• Donald Trump just passed 100 days in office. A new ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll asked Americans to describe Trump’s second term in one word'''
• Following Jagmeet Singh’s resignation after the NDP’s electoral collapse, Valérie Plante has emerged as a top choice among party insiders to succeed him, according to former leader Tom Mulcair
• Just a day after the Liberal win, Alberta has announced a sweeping list of electoral reforms. Of most importance to national politics - the bill tabled would lower the threshold to hold a referendum, giving fewer voters more time to force such a measure.

Elias Makos welcomes in Antonine Yaccarini, Political Analysts, PR Expert and former PQ and CAQ staffer, and Justine McIntyre, Strategic consultant and former city councillor.

• Mark Carney’s Liberals have 168 seats, just 4 shy of that majority number. They were boosted by major gains in Quebec that came largely at the Bloc Québécois’ expense
• The Conservatives obtained their highest share of the vote since 1988, but with the collapse of the NDP, don’t have a win to show for it
• NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh got crushed in his seat in Burnaby Central and announced he will step down once an interim leader is appointed
• Are we entering a period of a de facto two-party system?
• The Elections Canada website went down — on election day. Does the “Canada is broken” guy have a point?

Elias Makos is joined by Paul Gott, Lead singer and guitarist for Montreal Punk Rock band the Ripcordz and a journalism professor at Concordia, and Jimmy Zoubris, special advisor to the Mayor.

• It was the shortest campaign possible at 36 days. But considering what happened before Mark Carney dropped the writ, it feels like it was much longer.
• What will you be watching for tonight? Any specific ridings or trends?
• Eleven people, including a five year old child, were killed after a man drove an SUV into a crowd at a Filipino community festival in Vancouver on Saturday.
• Quebec has announced a $0.35 per hour minimum wage increase set for May 1

Elias Makos ends the week with Gabriel Retta, is a Montrealer active in politics and government service at all three levels for the last 20 years. He is currently serving as Chief of Staff to the Official Opposition at Montreal City Hall, and Christina Chough, Spanish teacher and Chair of the modern languages department at Dawson College.

• Yesterday, Radio-Canada broke the story that in their phone call on March 28, Donald Trump did indeed bring up Canada becoming the 51st state to Carney. But after that phone call, Carney claimed to journalists that Trump “respected Canada’s sovereignty.”
• We vote Monday. What’s the key ballot issue?
• The Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine tunnel project will end up costing at least five times the original projection
• A Quebec Superior Court judge has overturned the province’s tuition hike for out-of-province students

Elias Makos is joined by Andrew Caddell, a town councillor in Kamouraska, and President of the Task Force on Linguistic policy, and Meeker Guerrier, Commentator at Noovo and RDS. 

• Quebec’s language watchdog has told Montreal’s transit agency to stop displaying English phrases like “Go! Canadiens Go!” on bus displays, citing the need to uphold French-language standards under Bill 96
• The Globe and Mail, citing Ontario PC and federal Liberal sources, that Pierre Poilievre might lose his riding
• Reddit: “The drug use in Montreal is getting so out of control”